Chapter 6: The Queen’s Old Soul

Slavica was totally interested in her as she could feel that strong attraction lingering deeply inside her heart. It was like they knew each other or to be more precise, she felt the same energy that she fell in love with her queen. But she just kept ignoring that feeling yet she knew it still lingers especially when Gwen touched her broken side that won't let anyone even take a glance over it unless it was her team.

"Maybe." Slavica just answered before she turned her heels and she grabbed her coat before heading to the door.

"Always a safe answer." She heard Dr. Jeo as she opened the door and left the office.

She wore her coat again as she headed to the cafeteria when something hit her abdomen. She wasn't sure what was it but it kept repeating which made her lean for a second to the nearest wall her right hand could reach. She even took a deep breath before releasing them slowly and from doing that, she automatically feel the same person she longed to see but there was something else revolving around it. She took her time to let the feeling get inside of her until Gwen's image of touching her brokenness suddenly flashed in her mind.

'Please, Vica…wake me…help me with this…'

Without hesitation or even doubt, she run as fast as she could to the fire exit because she thought it was faster on taking that path. The way run over the staircase was totally inhumane as her speed was like the air that cannot be seen by anything. She just rushes to where she has to be and be with Gwen as soon as she could. She went there really fast as if her life depends on it and once she opened the door, Slavica's eyes widen. She saw a very thick stream coming out from Gwen's body.

"Oh no…" Slavica worried whispered as she run to Gwen's side and held her wrist. She could feel the heat coming out from Gwen's body and Slavica's hands felt like it was burning or holding a summer sun.

"I am here. Wake up, Gwen." Slavica tried to wake her up as soon as she managed to hold her. But there was still no response at all until Gwen started bleeding from her eyes and her nose. It worried Slavica even more than she usually know and she didn't realize that only Gwen could make her move.

"Gwen! Wake up, my queen. I am here. Please, don't leave me again." Out of the blue, she began crying as she leaned her forehead against Gwen.

Slavica didn't even notice that her feelings were already showing and she also didn't realize that the steam from Gwen's body quickly died down. It even vanished as if it never happened then it was followed by a stir from waking sleeping beauty. She jolted when she felt a delicate hand carefully reach out and touched her face to where her broken side hid.

"You came." Gwen weakly stated as soon as she woke up from having a nightmare that she couldn't control just yet.

"Of course, I came back. Everything is going to be fine." Slavica was crying underneath the mask that she was wearing.

"Do you believe so?" she carefully wondered as her eyes fixed on the savior's eyes.

"Yes, my queen." Slavica answered as she was smiling due to the voice she used and she did a sweet gesture when she kissed the hand Gwen that was holding with her both hands.

"Queen? Am no royalty, Vica." Gwen weakly chuckled but she was flattered when she hears them from her. It was so right when she hears them from Slavica and not from others.

Slavica didn't answer her ahead because she was a little bit taken aback when Gwen called her by her name of hers from a very long time ago. She looked deeply into Gwen and she was sure that this very lady was her; she longed heart. But she won't dare name it yet though she acknowledges that it's already there, with her at long last.

"To me you were. I heard what you did for the orphanage where you grew up. For me that's something remarkable and a good example of being a generous human being." Slavica smiled encouragingly at Gwen which made her caress her face.

"Would you let me now see them? I really like to see your face." Gwen curiously wondered as she was still caressing Slavica's mask.

"I am not who I used to look like before. Still want to dare to have a look at what lies underneath this mask?" Slavica firmly asked as she looked directly into Gwen's eyes.

"Yes." Gwen didn't hesitate or even had the slightest doubt behind her eyes. There was a few seconds of silence as Slavica stared deeply into her eyes before sighing in defeat.

"Fine, I'll show it to you but first tell me what happened while you were sleeping?" Slavica sighed but changed the subject which made Gwen slightly roll her eyes in disappointment.

"Way too good to dodge the bullet." Gwen mumbled as she let go of Slavica's face. Honestly, she missed it as soon as Gwen released her face from caressing them.

"Gwen, please. Let me hear them since I wasn't there when you were having them and I am very sorry for that." With a sincere voice from Slavica, Gwen's heart was struck and her heartbeat started to echo loudly through her hearing. But she must control them before it shows to her face.

Gwen took her time to battle within her mind if she really wanted to say what happened in her dream or not. But when she glanced back at the sincerity and patience that Slavica was giving to her, she just released a sigh. She just let Slavica hear what dream that she dreamed about.

"Alright, it was the same dream that I kept having before the orphanage burned down. But there was something suddenly added to them…" Gwen trailed off since she was not sure whether to tell everything but since it was Slavica, she can't hide things from her for some reason.

"Would you believe me if I told you that my dream was like I'm in a medieval time where bloody wars happened…and there's you…would you believe me?" Gwen wondered if Slavica would believe her if she told her about her weird dreams lately.

"I will." Slavica answered quickly with such honesty in her voice. Gwen gave up another sigh before continuing to talk about her dream which she called nightmares.

"Okay. In that dream, I could hear innocent people's screams while some were fighting for their lives. It was too bloody as I could see everyone being slaughtered before my eyes. Massacre and fire were everywhere I turn but it suddenly changes when I saw a man holding a sword fighting another taunting man. They fight head on but he was tricked when he saw his wife being captive." Gwen stated the detailed dream that she could remember from all of her dreams that kept happening to her. They were the same but there were some little added detail that she always came across.

"You saw a detailed dream." Slavica noticed which made Gwen slightly smile but she was worried about it.

"That's why I am confused about my dream. It was so clear as if I was born there. Then the new dream that I just had earlier, was a fun exciting festival from the same era and there was you. I am not sure why you were there when I just met you here…" Gwen went on telling her dream.

Slavica was a little bit taken back in surprise when she heard what Gwen said there. She didn't let Gwen notice some shivers pass through her body there and just listened to Gwen when she informed her about that new dream. She just let Gwen keep talking.

"Anyway, what really caught my attention is this stone that has the same mark that I had over my wrist. It was totally there and it began to glow like a heartbeat then all of a sudden I was in a chamber. It was very familiar to me as if that's my room but it pained me the more I stayed there." Gwen continued as she clearly recalled the same triquetra symbol that she saw in her dream and the mark over her wrist then to the chamber.

"Why it hurts you?" Slavica might be sounded neutral but she was curious when she asked Gwen.

"I could feel the pain of the broken knight there which in my dream it was you. I could hear your cries and it hurts me a lot. I couldn't breathe each time I felt it. It was tearing me apart for some reason which I hate." Gwen answered as her mood changed into something that she doesn't want to feel – she became irritated.

"Why do you hate it?" Slavica once again sounded neutral and curious but her heartbeat was totally nervous to what she was about to hear from Gwen since she mentioned Slavica being there as the broken knight which she was - broken.

"I hate the feeling that it was giving me there. Your sorrow in my dream lingers. It was making me want to pull you into my arms and state soothing words to ease your pain. But of course, I can't since it wasn't mine and that's another thing bothering me. That dream wasn't mine but it really felt like it does belong to me." Gwen sigh in defeat as she recalled that broken knight's voice that really stirred something inside of her heart of wanting to do something to make the broken knight better and away from that kind of sorrow.

There was a slight pause since Gwen was a little bit in a foul mood from recalling that part of her dream. She couldn't understand how or even why it was even bothering her to the core as if it happened to her. Or rather, she was the reason for the broken knight's sorrows to exist in the first place but it happens decades ago.

"Alright. Let me tell you something about it." Slavica said as she released Gwen's hand from her and grabbed her masked which made Gwen's reaction hitch in excitement.

"Those are memories of those times. Old memories from your old soul which are very rare to happen nowadays." Slavica spoke while her hand was still holding the mask which Gwen was waiting to see what lies underneath it.

"Memories of my old soul? Like wisdom?" even though she was very interested in what lies beneath Slavica's mask, she could still listen to what she was telling her.

"It could but do you believe in reincarnation of the soul?" Slavica wondered if Gwen has the slightest idea about it.

"I've heard it somewhere but I am not sure if I would believe in it. Why, does it have to do with my dreams lately?" Gwen answered before she asked if there was any connection to what she's been dreaming lately.

"Connected. Your soul came from a certain person in those times." She honestly answered while her eyes fixed on Gwen's reaction.

"Any idea who?" she wondered.

"A queen." Slavica answered directly which confused Gwen.

"Explain." She insisted since she was puzzled by what Slavica was informing her about the connection of both of her dreams and the reincarnation of souls that she was telling about.

Slavica took some time to recollect all of what she could remember in those times even though she doesn't want to recall them. It causes some pain in her which it still does but she has to reveal some glimpse of it for Gwen to have the slightest hint about everything that's going to happen to her soon.

"The queen's soul lies inside of you which made you dream about it because that's what she has seen and felt in those times." Slavica removed her hand from her mask as she explained shortly what she meant.

"Why in me, Vica?" Gwen sadly asked as if she doesn't want anything to do with it yet, something crossed Gwen's heart when she thought of not meeting Silyana which made her heart feel pain.

"I am not sure either but once a chosen one was awakened, you have to face it. Gwen, you are changing. Soon people around you will notice it and I don't want you to go through what I've been through." Slavica's concerned voice struck an ache in her heart when she heard that tone. She felt the sincere care in her voice.

"But I had a life…" Gwen wondered.

"Do you? I mean, are you sure you're living and not feeling hollowed or something?" Slavica made a pinpointed guess that hit a gut over Gwen's chest. She made her think about the life that she has now.

Gwen knew that ever since she lost her adoptive parents, she also lose interest in something that could make her go on but there's nothing left anymore. The only she cared about was the orphanage and now, it has to be built again from scratch which pained her kind heart.

"Gwen, take a look over the darkness that I have to hide." Slavica sigh as she took Gwen's attention and look over her.

"Why do you have to hide it?" Gwen curiously asked in her sad voice which hurts Slavica. She reached over Gwen's right cheek with her left hand and caressed them in a soothing motion.

"People looked disgusted or took pity on me when they saw this…" Slavica chuckled as she took off her mask with her free hand carefully.